


Perfectly

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-11-02 12:30:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20746898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: Accidents happen when you don't expect them to





	Perfectly

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello!  
It's angst time. And boy, did I get carried away. Oops...?  
Enjoy! <3

They don’t teach you how to handle these kinds of situations in med school. They don’t tell you how to react when the person you love the most has just been crushed by a piece of concrete, pinning her to the cold floor, unable to move, her leg broken, her stomach pierced by the metal rod, blood pouring out of the wound in ungodly speed.

Ethan and Claire were taking a stroll down the streets of Boston on a beautiful Sunday morning. Both had a day off, a rare find in their schedules, so they cherished every second of it. Every second of being together and away from the hospital.

Who would have though they would end up at the hospital either way.

Ethan had his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her close to him, letting the scent of her orange blossom perfume engulf him.

Then they felt it. And they heard it. A soft shake of the ground, a delicate rumble of the walls of the building next to them. Ethan didn’t know what was going on. Claire saw what was happening seconds before it happened, and she acted out on her impulses.

Her arms came into contact with his chest, pushing him out of the harm’s way, before a rumble of concrete fell, dust and debris rattled down over the street, turning everything into a mess, the normally busy street suddenly deadly quiet.

For the first couple of seconds, Ethan didn’t know what happened. There was a ringing noise in his ears, his vision was blurred. As he came round, he shakily stood up to search for his girlfriend, frantically moving his eyes along the crowd of people. She wasn’t there.

What was there was a pile of concrete, a small mountain. And a hand, sticking out from underneath it. And a small and quiet voice, calling out with a word that sounded suspiciously like his own name.

Leaning down, looking into the hole between the debris and the ground, he saw the face of his beloved woman, blood trickling down the side of her face from the wound on her forehead. Her eyelids were drooping, exhaustion painted all over her face.

Their eyes met and he saw calmness in hers. It fascinated him, how, for both of them, the mere sight of the other brought a sense of home. Like right now, she was hurt, badly, and the second she saw him, she calmed down. He didn’t.

Laying on the ground, his chest flat against the cold surface, he reached for her hand.

“Claire? Talk to me, what happened? Do you remember?”

“I… pushed… you away… the building crashed down… are you… o-okay?” she struggled with speaking. Not a good sign.

“Why did you do that, baby? Why?”

“I… couldn’t l-let you… g-get hurt.”

Ethan felt it coming. The panic, rising in his chest like a tsunami, threatening to hit at any moment. She was calm. _Why was she so calm?_

“How do you feel? Where are you hurt?” he questioned, his words a whisper, for he didn’t trust his throat enough to speak loudly.

“I-I think my right leg is broken a-and… uh, it feels as though there is a piece of metal, shot straight through my stomach. I can-cannot m-move, I can’t b-breathe…” her breaths were shallow, her chest moving up and down rapidly.

He crashed. Tears fell down his face, his body started shaking with sobs as he held her hand.

“Please, don’t leave me. Don’t you dare leave me, Claire. You’re all I have. I don’t know how to do this without you. You won’t leave me, Rookie. I am forbidding you.”

“Ethan… it’s okay, deep breaths. Calm down…” she wished she could wrap her arms around him and pull him close, make the world around them disappear. Unfortunately, they were stuck in the state they were currently in, no telling for how long.

“Marry me.” Their eyes met. She was confused and shocked, he was determined and confident. Serious in his statement.

“Wh-what?”

They talked about having a family together, once or twice before. But it was always in the distant future.

“Marry me. Oh god, Claire, marry me. I want to be your husband. I want to be by your side every day and every night. I want to wake up next to you and go to sleep with you in my arms. I want to have kids with you. You made me believe I could have children and be a decent father they would need. I want to support you. I want to love you. I want to have a future with you. We’re going to be so happy. You and me. You can’t leave me, Claire. I won’t survive it without you. P-please, hang on a little longer, okay? I need you t-to s-stay awake. L-look at me, yeah? You’re going to be f-fine…” he kissed her hand tenderly as he sobbed, tears falling freely.

“Yes…” she said, her voice a little strained, but there was strength and certainty in her eyes.

“Claire?”

“Yes. I-I’ll marry you. I l-love you, Ethan. There is no d-doubt about that. I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” He laughed through his tears, some of the pain in his chest being relieved by her answer.

He held onto her hand until paramedics arrived. He held onto her hand when they were getting her out from underneath those rocks. He held her hand when they were transporting her to the hospital. He only let her hand go when they took her to the surgery, and only because he couldn’t go there, and she, herself, told him she’d be fine, squeezing his fingers tightly.

He knew he looked like death. He knew he should go home and change. He knew she wouldn’t be conscious when she’d eventually come out of the surgery. Yet, he couldn’t make himself go home. Only once the procedure was over, and he was sure that she would come back to him, did her allow himself to go home, even if only for a short moment.

Besides getting clean, he had one more thing on his agenda. A small, satin box, sitting at the bottom of his dresser, tucked away safely for the right time. And that time was now.

Coming back to the hospital, he went straight to her room, not bothering to stop for anything or anyone.

She was still asleep, looking peaceful as ever, her face calm. He sat down in the chair next to her bed, stroking her hair softly. She stirred, a small sound escaping her mouth, before her eyes opened. Still confused from sleeping and everything that happened, she didn’t recognize the room at first. Only after a few minutes did she realize where she was, remembered what happened, and her eyes shifted to Ethan.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly, reaching over to touch his cheek, stroking his cheekbone tenderly.

“Now that I know you’re okay, I am.”

“Good. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.”

“The feeling is mutual, future Mrs. Ramsey.” He smiled at her, pride in allowing himself to call her that swelling in his chest. She reciprocated his smile, her eyes shining.

“That sounds right. It _feels_ right.”

That was the moment her was waiting for. He stood up from his chair, moving it to the side, before dropping to his knee, taking a little box out of his jacket pocket. Inside was a ring, made out of gold, the band structured like a delicate vine, hugging her finger closely. In the middle was a diamond of a decent size, surrounded by a bunch of smaller ones, both around the said diamond and all over the band, making it sparkle in the light.

“I’ll have you know that it wasn’t perfectly how I envisioned this. But I couldn’t wait a second longer. You are my soulmate, Claire. We are meant to be. I love you. I have loved you for a long time. And I’ll love you till the day I die. I am asking you to accept me, all my imperfections and defects. I am asking you to keep my love safe in your heart and to never let it go, just like you store my heart in your own. I promise to do everything I can to never let you down. I would never hurt you intentionally. I want you. I need you. I love you. Will you marry me?”

They were both crying, leaning towards one another. Their lips touched for a short, sweet kiss, before their foreheads met, eyes closed.

“Ethan?”

“Claire?”

“I love you too.”

“So does that…”

“Yes. I want to marry you.”

His eyes opened, the biggest smile on his face as he took the ring out of the box, sliding it onto her finger gently, the gold and diamonds sparkling in the soft light.

It fit perfectly.


End file.
